Growing up in a Latin household, my family emphasized several hacks to save money.
My uncle is a YouTube-certified mechanic & can change the oil on any car, my mom would wake up early to make us burritos for travel days, & my grandma would sew my hand-me-downs so they’d look a little less hand-me-down-ish.
I was taught that saving money was the key to financial success. If there was something you could accomplish yourself with a little elbow grease, then it was totally worth it to get ‘er done.
As I became more established, I became curious if living frugally was really my biggest priority…
While saving money through doing things yourself is awesome, you know what is also awesome? Resting. S a v o r i n g. Sloooowing down.
I realized that money comes & goes, but time is our most precious, non-renewable resource. In this blog post, you’re going to learn how to find the balance between saving time & money so that you can relish in what most matters to you.
My Lightbulb Moment
A lot of people on social media make it seem like you have to be single in order to “find yourself,” but I have found the opposite to be true…
Sometimes it’s hard to be honest with yourself. The ego takes over. Admitting our quirks or flaws is straight up uncomfortable, so we oftentimes don’t do it unless we’re prompted to.
While we can definitely be prompted by mentors or friends, in the modern day we are rarely in a community that will be real with us (I wrote a blog post on how to make new friends, if you’re curious!).
Being in a healthy relationship (romantic or platonic) is like looking into a mirror, & you start to see a lot of idiosyncrasies that you never realized you had.
If you really want people to get curious on your thoughts & actions, spend time with someone with a different upbringing than you (whether culturally, economically, etc.) 😅
Dating B has been such an eye-opening experience because while we grew up in slightly similar circles, our families were very different.
He gets curious about my “norms” & reminds me that there are different ways of thinking, doing, & being. I get to choose what feels best to me, not just what was culturally appropriate.
When he first told me that time was our greatest asset, it left me very…perplexed.
- When I hit a rough patch at work, he brought up getting a meal prep service.
- When we were buying new furniture after we moved (I wrote a blog post about our move), he suggested we pay extra for delivery since we couldn’t easily transport it.
- He was okay with paying a bit extra for airport food if it meant we got to sleep in an extra hour.
Basically, if something wasn’t an outlandish amount of money & it would make our lives easier, he was more than happy to pay for it. & tbh, it kind of floored me.
He frequently reminds me that I can do anything, but not everything.
Our time & energy is limited, so we have to be intentional with how we choose to spend it.
I realize that we’re in a privileged position because we’re in our DINK era, but I genuinely believe that this mentality can be adapted to any budget depending on what’s most important to you.
The Importance of Self-Awareness
I am completely convinced that self-awareness is one of our biggest superpowers.
The reason why this blog is called The Mindful Mija (aside from the fact that I’m an alliteration aficionado—haha, get it? 😉) is because I aspire to live with intention & presence.
I want to live on purpose, not on autopilot.
Remember how I said it can be hard to be real with ourselves?? This, my friend, can be one of those times.
Sometimes it can be hard to differentiate when we really need that express delivery or take out or elite gym membership, or if we’re just giving into capitalism or being lazy.
We have to find the sweet spot between valuing our time while also being fiscally responsible.
While I could go on for a long time about how to cultivate self-awareness in this arena, I wrote a blog post about how to listen to yourself. You might find it helpful.
Questions to Ask Yourself…
I would recommend writing these questions down or taking a screen shot to revisit them as needed.
Ask without judgement—your answers are inherently neutral, & they derive positive or negative connotations based on the thoughts you have about them.
1. What is the most important thing for me to accomplish, & what would help me get there?
I repeat: you can have anything, but not everything. Something’s gotta give, & you’ll feel a lot more empowered if you choose what that’s going to be.
- If you’re in the middle of applying for grad school, it might be worth it to spend a little extra on takeout. Your time is probably better spent on apps than it is on cooking.
- If you’re avoiding the gym because you don’t know what to do, it might be worth it to get a trainer. It would build confidence & accountability while reducing risk of injury.
- If you’re craving extra time with your honey, it might be worth it to hire someone to clean the house while you go have a picnic.
Maybe you’re feeling good on time & you want to enter a savings era—that’s a-okay, too!
Whether you’re using your money to buy time or using your time to save money, just feel confident about whatever decision you’re making ◡̈
2. Would spending money allow me to make more money?
This one is specific to you side-hustlers out there, or if you have a desire to work overtime at your job.
B used to have a thriving YouTube channel. He calculated the average amount he was making from his channel, then he researched how much it’d cost to have someone mow the lawn once a week.
He realized that he could earn more than it would cost to hire a landscaper, so it made more sense for him to invest that time into his business rather than in his lawn maintenance.
Please note: I am not trying to idolize productivity, & I think that sometimes a nice nap can be the most beneficial thing for us!
B had just recognized content creation & profitability to be most important to him at the time, so he chose to outsource other things so he could make that happen.
3. Does this align with my values?
Another way to know if the spending is justified is to ask yourself if it aligns with your values.
If you need help identifying your values, I have a free guide to help.
- Would your newfound time give you the time to go to your nephew’s soccer game?
- Would it allow you to be a less stressed-out partner?
- Would it give you more time to take care of your mind/body/spirit?
- Or are you using the extra time to mindlessly scroll social media or go to that family party you have no desire to be at?
Again, no judgement, just be honest with yourself. & speaking of being honest…
4. Is this just for a season, or is this lifestyle inflation? 👀
Lifestyle inflation is when your taste or expectations increase every time your income increases.
For example, I used to think Olive Garden was fancy AF.
I distinctly remember one particular day where I was going to go in jeans, & my sister looked at my outfit with disgust & snarked “is that what you’re wearing?”
She’s so right, I thought, as I quickly changed into a dress. How dare I think that it was appropriate to wear jeans to such an elevated establishment?!
Now, I would never go there…except for the breadsticks & salad. Those will always hold a special place in my heart.
- You go from wearing Target jeans to American Eagle, then Madewell, until you start wanting more & more expensive things.
- You go from using off-brand cleaning supplies to wanting the eco-conscious versions to just wanting to hire someone else to clean for you.
If you’re concerned about overspending, have a convo with yourself & ask if this is for a season for a particular reason (you’re adjusting to a new job, you just moved, you just had a kiddo, etc.), or if this is just a new standard you have for yourself.
If it’s a new standard, that’s not necessarily bad! Maybe you want to be super intentional with where you spend your money or what you put into your body & home, so what you do purchase is pricier.
I know I sound like a broken record, but just make sure it’s in alignment with your goals & values & that it makes sense to you!